Omer Insights

Why Do We Count the Omer? by Yeruchom Eilfort... Language of the Soul by Jay Litvin... A Spiritual Guide to the Omer Count by Simon Jacobson... Numbers Are Funny Things by Yanki Tauber... Revelation and Struggle by Zvi Yair...

One morning, just before daybreak, the stranger took the people to the edge of the valley, and when the early morning breezes drove away the dark clouds, they saw far off in the distance, as if illuminated by a flash of lightning, a green-covered plateau on top of a distant mount bathed in the light of the rising sun . . .

We seek specialness. Everything else just is, and as such is unworthy of our energy or attention. But is that how we really are? Or is there another, perhaps deeper, self that thrives on routine and regularity?

An historic controversy arose between the Rabbis and sectarians as to the meaning of the command: "And you shall count unto you from the morrow after the Shabbat." Although the Rabbis proved their case, why did the Torah use a word so open to misinterpretation?

We are inclined to believe that all intellectual and artistic endeavors are inherently positive. There are those who would argue that untrammeled intellectual and artistic expression is itself a fundamental good . . .

In these four words lies the difference between the American Revolution, which made the country the beacon of freedom and liberty until this very day, and other revolutions crying the same cry of "all men are created equal," which did not last.

Anyone who has tried to work through a character flaw will concede that it is very difficult. And even if there seems to be a shift today, how can I know that tomorrow won’t bring back the same old demon?

As we travel our path to self-betterment, we need an occasional wake-up call. The startling flash of recognition can obliterate our mental fog, But the mental clarity itself isn’t change. It’s just the beginning...